


Unwelcome Encouragement

by Hellokaelyn



Series: Fictober 2019 [16]
Category: NCIS
Genre: F/M, Fictober, post 17x04, warning: features creepy clown doll
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-20 20:37:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21062834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellokaelyn/pseuds/Hellokaelyn
Summary: Nick keeps getting unwelcome encouragement from an unwelcome visitor.





	Unwelcome Encouragement

**Author's Note:**

> might be a little weird but oh well.
> 
> Prompt: "Listen. No, really listen."

Nick felt in a daze as he lifted weights that evening.   
  
Things had been going great the last few weeks since the Ziva storm had passed (minus the confinement to the evidence garage and forced to wear the hideous overalls), even things between he and Ellie have been good. They seemed to fall back into their friendship before things blew up and started building, if a little more touchy than before. Except in the quiet moments like when they watched a movie, you could practically feel the unspoken words between them.   
  
Part of him actually did want to clear the air, but he didn't want to ruin the new peace they had..didn't want to lose her again.  
  
"Nick!"   
  
He cursed and jumped back as the weights slipped from his grip and dropped to the floor with a loud heavy clang.   
  
Nick looked over to see Terry, his newest gym partner, looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a slightly worried look. "You alright over there? You looked a little out of it."  
  
A friendship, or bromance as Ellie and Kasie called it, with Terry was unexpected when they first got stuck in the evidence garage. At first he thought the man was weird, strict, and in obvious need of some damn windows. But then he found Terry's dietary plan and his own plan formed. Nick was surprised when the other man was glad to talk about it (or not so surprised, the guy obviously didn't have many people to talk to in the hell hole), and from there Terry finding out Nick was no longer part of a gym invited him along to his own gym. And here they were.   
  
Every Saturday if there was no case, Nick would head to his new gym where Terry would already be. Sometimes Ellie even joined them, but Nick tried to avoid that for two reasons. One, Ellie working out plus him with heavy equipment were not a good combination. Two, Terry obviously had heard the rumors about them going around the building despite not talking to many people (he wasn't even sure Ellie knew about it, he only knew because he was good at eavesdropping thanks to needing to while undercover).  
  
"Just thinking." Nick grunted, moving to put the weights away.   
  
"Ahh." Terry nodded. "Agent Bishop again?"  
  
Nick groaned. "You always think I'm thinking about her. And how many times has she told you to call her Ellie or just Bishop?"  
  
He shrugged. "You have a certain face when doing it, kind of a dopey face if you ask me-"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"-And it's just a force of habit."  
  
"You call me Nick just fine." Nick pointed out. "You've seen her _puke_ for crying out loud, I think you can call her Bishop at least."  
  
Terry chuckled but cringed. "I still feel bad about that..I didn't think she'd take it as a challenge when I told her the hot sauce was too hot."  
  
"Don't worry about it man." Nick laughed. "I think it's the growing up with three older brothers thing, in her head that was like you telling her she couldn't handle it."  
  
"..and that warranted her smothering her food in it until she puked?"  
  
Nick threw his head back and laughed. "You'll learn in time, she can be a weird one."  
  
"Hmm." Terry crossed his arms with a smirk.   
  
"Oh don't you start that crap again." Nick grumbled. "I'm leaving."  
  
Terry's loud booming laugh following him to the locker room.   
  


* * *

  
  
Nick let out a sigh as he settled into his car, tossing his gym bag in the passenger seat. He leaned his head back and rubbed at his eyes.   
  
A muffled sound that sounded like slight distorted talking came from the back seat.   
  
"You have got to be kidding me." He groaned, leaning forward and banging his forehead against the steering wheel.  
  
This was honestly getting _sickening_.  
  
With a huff he reached back and yanked the blanket he kept in his back seat off the seat.  
  
He glared at the object on the seat.   
  
"I'm going to burn you." He grumbled at the stupid thing, not even caring anymore that he was talking to a damn toy.  
  
That creepy ass clown doll was getting on his last nerve.  
  
"I love you and I'm sorry."  
  
"Shut the hell up!"

* * *

  
  
_Nick threw his gobag onto the couch, dragging his feet to his bedroom. _   
  
_He stopped when hearing..talking? coming from his bedroom._   
  
_Taking out his gun, he held it out in front of him as he entered._   
  
_"Holy fu-"_   
  
_Resting against his pillows was-_   
  
_"I love you and I'm sorry."_   
  
_Immediately he cursed and pulled out his phone, calling everyone he could think of that knew of the damn thing and could have done it. _   
  
_No one knew anything._

  
  
_He whistled under his breath as he walked to his car, spinning his keys around his finger. _   
  
_But when he got closer to his car, he heard muffled sounds coming from the trunk._   
  
_"What the hell?" He mumbled, body tensing on guard as he opened the trunk._   
  
_Only to jump back when he saw the creepy clown once again staring right at him. _   
  
_Nick spun around, looking for anyone that could have got it in there..and taken the damn thing out of his apartment dumpster where he threw it._   
  
_"I love you and I'm sorry."_   
  
_Nick grabbed it, walked over to the trash, and tossed it in._   
  


  
  
_"Ellie seriously? I'm not trying that nasty ass food again." Nick said into the phone walking towards his fridge. _   
  
_"Come on! You just got the wrong thing, I promise I'll order you something that tastes better."_   
  
_"Last time you ordered something for me claiming it was good, I had to spit it back out."_   
  
_"You're such a food snob."_   
  
_"And you're a food freak!" _   
  
_Nick grinned, he had really missed this._   
  
_Ellie rambled in his ear as he opened the fridge- only to jump back with a curse._   
  
_"I love you and I'm sorry."_   
  
_"Nick? What was that, are you okay?" _   
  
_"I'm fine!" Nick quickly said, snatching the doll from inside his fridge. _   
  
_"What was that talking? It kind of sounded familiar."_   
  
_"Nothing! Just uh, accidentally turned the TV on." _   
  
_Nick opened the window, and tossed the doll out. _

* * *

  
  
And it repeated.  
  
He was starting to think the creepy doll was walking on its own.   
  
This was the _fifth_ time.  
  
Grabbing the doll, he put it on his gym bag and started driving.  
  
Taking a detour to his apartment Nick pulled over on a street lined with stores, grabbed the doll, got out, walked to one of the alleys, and tossed it into one of the dumpsters.   
  
Its muffled talking was faintly heard as he walked away.  
  
Next time he seriously was burning it if it came back.

* * *

  
  
Nick snapped awake at a sudden sound waking him up.  
  
Groaning he rubbed a hand over his eyes and looked at the clock. Four in the morning.  
  
"Are you kidding me?" He grumbled.  
  
His head turned to the door as the sound reached his ears again.  
  
Nick got out of bed, grabbing his gun on the way out of his bedroom.   
  
"I love you and I'm sorry."  
  
"Seriously?!"  
  
On his couch was once again the clown.  
  
"I love you and I'm sorry."  
  
"I swear to fuc-"  
  
"I love you and I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh my god shut the hell up!"  
  
Nick ran back to his bedroom and slipped on sweatpants, a shirt, and shoes. He barely stopped to grab his phone and keys as he headed for the door.   
  
"I love you and I'm sorry.".  
  
"I'm going goddammit!"   
  
It was crazy, but hearing those damn words so many times-  
  
He turned and glared at it. "I'm burning your creepy ass when I come back."  
  
"I love you and I'm sorry."  
  
Nick slammed his door shut with a loud groan. 

* * *

  
  
  
"Nick?" Mumbled a sleepy Ellie as she opened the door to her apartment.  
  
Nick had to bite his tongue to keep from commenting on how adorable a just woken up Ellie looked like. Between her blinking and rubbing her eyes like some kitten, the slight red mark on her cheek where she must have been laying on, her hair all over the place, then the unicorn slippers Kasie had given her as a joke on her feet- he also had to try not to grin.   
  
"It's like..four in the morning. What're you doing here?"  
  
"I have something to say."   
  
He walked forward, making her back up as he stepped into her apartment and shut the door.  
  
"This early? It couldn't wait?" She was more awake now as she glared. "Some of us actually like sleep you know."  
  
"Ellie." Nick placed his hands on her shoulders. She stopped talking, blinking at him in confusion. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Nick wha-"  
  
"I'm not done." He interrupted. "Listen. No, really listen."  
  
He moved his hands from her shoulders to cup her face. Her eyes widened and he heard her intake of breath. "I love you."  
  
"You- wha-" Ellie sputtered. For once at a loss for words.  
  
"I love you Ellie."   
  
A smile slowly but surely spread across her face.   
  
"You really came here at four in the morning to tell me that?"  
  
Nick nodded. "I uh- had some..unwanted encouragement."  
  
"I'll ask later what you mean by that-" Ellie said with a raised eyebrow. "But for now.."  
  
She put a hand on the back of his neck, pulled him towards her, and pressed her lips to his. Nick smiled against her, the memory of the doll quickly forgotten as he kissed her back.   
  


* * *

  
  
The next day, Nick and Ellie walked off the elevator laughing together with Nick's arm wrapped around her shoulders.  
  
Neither of them noticed the small group of McGee, Jack, Jimmy and Kasie standing a bit away watching them.  
  
"Well I'll be damned." Jack said with a chuckle.  
  
"Ugh _finally_!" Kasie groaned, throwing her fists into the air.   
  
McGee frowned, moving away from her fist that almost hit him. Jimmy grinned widely, looking as if he was seconds from doing his own victory motion.   
  
"Took 'em long enough." Gibbs grumbled as he walked by them and towards the desks. "Now someone get rid of that damn clown."  
  
"On it!" Both Kasie and Jimmy shouted, running towards the staircase closest to them.   
  
"Huh." Jack looked to McGee. "Who knew, all we needed to get Nick to confess was to drive him crazy."   
  
McGee snorted. "I'm just glad I don't have to go through all of this anymore _again_."  
  
Nick and Ellie were at her desk leaning in close as they whispered about something with large grins.   
  
Jack patted McGee's arm and went to the stairs heading up to her office. McGee walked towards them prepared to act like he knew nothing. On his way, he passed by Terry who gave him a smirk and a nod. McGee nodded back chuckling under his breath.  
  
Group mission accomplished. 

**Author's Note:**

> I actually like Terry so who knows he may appear in other fics.


End file.
